Ford’s Aluminum Recycling Strategy

Image: Ford

While North Americans can recycle household items with ease, Ford is going above and beyond to be more resourceful, making an effort to repurpose discarded pieces of aluminum.

The car manufacturer’s new strategy has been implemented in Buffalo, Dearborn, and Kentucky, saving enough aluminum each month to construct tens of thousands of F-Series car frames. The result is a drastic decrease in energy usage and unusable waste, as well as an upgrade in the truck model created from the recycled material.

A mere 10% of the energy needed to produce new aluminum is used in the recycling of old aluminum. With such a noticeable gain in sustainability, nearly three-quarters of processed aluminum is used again and again.

To maintain its efficiency, the system’s setup includes a giant vacuum and a series of tubes that carry materials across the building. The leftover aluminum is cut into small, rectangular pieces and sent to one of four piles depending on the metal’s grade. Amazingly, the system sorts out grades and transports pieces without any human aid.

Ford’s ingenious recycling method sets an example for production of the future as companies find the balance between meeting consumers’ needs and being kinder to the environment.